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I was reading a story the other day about some guy in America who has been convicted of some crime, shoplifting or something. Anyway, the judge has sentanced him to 10 months confinement in his home, or something along those lines, but he must not have access to a television. Apparently this is to allow him to properly ponder his crimes and punishment.
Now this article interests me for a number of reasons. Firstly from a legal side, not sure if this is a justifiable punishment for the crime, which I don't think had any relation to TV. I think there is already an appeal against it in motion, and I'm not sure that it will stand up.
But the more important issue is whether not having a TV is a punishment? I am a student, 19 years old, and we do not have a TV in our house. Four of us live in this house without the need for a TV. I'm not saying I don't watch TV, but the only things I watch anymore are football matches, which I go down the pub to watch.
I certainly do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I read my newspaper everyday, so I know exactly what is going on in the world, but still when people find out we don't have a TV they say, how can you live without one? We just say - easily.
In the last year I have missed out on Pop Stars and Pop Idol, I think I have seen about half of one episode. Am I bothered by this? Not a bit. I have missed hundreds of episodes of Eastenders and Neighbours, and countless other rubbish soaps. Has this seriously damaged my health, or affected my life in a negative way? Not in the slightest.
My housemates and I are normal people, we do not sit in our rooms playing computer games all evening, we sit in our lounge, talking, listening to music. In fact, many of our friends come round to our house, rather than the other way round. Coming to our house, you often find more people who don't live there, than those who do. Why? Because once you get there you do not just sit down in front of a TV and sit in mind-numbing silence watching the drivel that is on.
People watch TV because it is there. You've already paid for it, so you might as well watch it. I know. When I'm back home, with digital TV, I can easily sit all day watching rubbish day-time TV. But if I sit down at the start of the day and say, "Right, what do I ACTUALLY want to watch today, I might see 1 or 2 things to watch", yet I can still find things to watch anyway.
This is beginning to turn into a rant, so I'll try and wind it up.
This guy, sentanced to 10 months without TV, is it a punishment. Maybe, but I don't think so. Will it do him good - certainly. And maybe that was what was in the judge's mind. Maybe he doesn't see it as a punishment either. He sees it as a way of helping the man.
I don't think that TV is a bad thing, far from it. But I do think that people watch too much TV, and that if we only watched what we REALLY wanted to, we might be better people for it.
Maybe.
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far down!)
Now this article interests me for a number of reasons. Firstly from a legal side, not sure if this is a justifiable punishment for the crime, which I don't think had any relation to TV. I think there is already an appeal against it in motion, and I'm not sure that it will stand up.
But the more important issue is whether not having a TV is a punishment? I am a student, 19 years old, and we do not have a TV in our house. Four of us live in this house without the need for a TV. I'm not saying I don't watch TV, but the only things I watch anymore are football matches, which I go down the pub to watch.
I certainly do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I read my newspaper everyday, so I know exactly what is going on in the world, but still when people find out we don't have a TV they say, how can you live without one? We just say - easily.
In the last year I have missed out on Pop Stars and Pop Idol, I think I have seen about half of one episode. Am I bothered by this? Not a bit. I have missed hundreds of episodes of Eastenders and Neighbours, and countless other rubbish soaps. Has this seriously damaged my health, or affected my life in a negative way? Not in the slightest.
My housemates and I are normal people, we do not sit in our rooms playing computer games all evening, we sit in our lounge, talking, listening to music. In fact, many of our friends come round to our house, rather than the other way round. Coming to our house, you often find more people who don't live there, than those who do. Why? Because once you get there you do not just sit down in front of a TV and sit in mind-numbing silence watching the drivel that is on.
People watch TV because it is there. You've already paid for it, so you might as well watch it. I know. When I'm back home, with digital TV, I can easily sit all day watching rubbish day-time TV. But if I sit down at the start of the day and say, "Right, what do I ACTUALLY want to watch today, I might see 1 or 2 things to watch", yet I can still find things to watch anyway.
This is beginning to turn into a rant, so I'll try and wind it up.
This guy, sentanced to 10 months without TV, is it a punishment. Maybe, but I don't think so. Will it do him good - certainly. And maybe that was what was in the judge's mind. Maybe he doesn't see it as a punishment either. He sees it as a way of helping the man.
I don't think that TV is a bad thing, far from it. But I do think that people watch too much TV, and that if we only watched what we REALLY wanted to, we might be better people for it.
Maybe.
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far down!)
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
I was reading a story the other day about some guy in America who has been convicted of some crime, shoplifting or something. Anyway, the judge has sentanced him to 10 months confinement in his home, or something along those lines, but he must not have access to a television. Apparently this is to allow him to properly ponder his crimes and punishment.
Now this article interests me for a number of reasons. Firstly from a legal side, not sure if this is a justifiable punishment for the crime, which I don't think had any relation to TV. I think there is already an appeal against it in motion, and I'm not sure that it will stand up.
But the more important issue is whether not having a TV is a punishment? I am a student, 19 years old, and we do not have a TV in our house. Four of us live in this house without the need for a TV. I'm not saying I don't watch TV, but the only things I watch anymore are football matches, which I go down the pub to watch.
I certainly do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I read my newspaper everyday, so I know exactly what is going on in the world, but still when people find out we don't have a TV they say, how can you live without one? We just say - easily.
In the last year I have missed out on Pop Stars and Pop Idol, I think I have seen about half of one episode. Am I bothered by this? Not a bit. I have missed hundreds of episodes of Eastenders and Neighbours, and countless other rubbish soaps. Has this seriously damaged my health, or affected my life in a negative way? Not in the slightest.
My housemates and I are normal people, we do not sit in our rooms playing computer games all evening, we sit in our lounge, talking, listening to music. In fact, many of our friends come round to our house, rather than the other way round. Coming to our house, you often find more people who don't live there, than those who do. Why? Because once you get there you do not just sit down in front of a TV and sit in mind-numbing silence watching the drivel that is on.
People watch TV because it is there. You've already paid for it, so you might as well watch it. I know. When I'm back home, with digital TV, I can easily sit all day watching rubbish day-time TV. But if I sit down at the start of the day and say, "Right, what do I ACTUALLY want to watch today, I might see 1 or 2 things to watch", yet I can still find things to watch anyway.
This is beginning to turn into a rant, so I'll try and wind it up.
This guy, sentanced to 10 months without TV, is it a punishment. Maybe, but I don't think so. Will it do him good - certainly. And maybe that was what was in the judge's mind. Maybe he doesn't see it as a punishment either. He sees it as a way of helping the man.
I don't think that TV is a bad thing, far from it. But I do think that people watch too much TV, and that if we only watched what we REALLY wanted to, we might be better people for it.
Maybe.
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far down!)
Now this article interests me for a number of reasons. Firstly from a legal side, not sure if this is a justifiable punishment for the crime, which I don't think had any relation to TV. I think there is already an appeal against it in motion, and I'm not sure that it will stand up.
But the more important issue is whether not having a TV is a punishment? I am a student, 19 years old, and we do not have a TV in our house. Four of us live in this house without the need for a TV. I'm not saying I don't watch TV, but the only things I watch anymore are football matches, which I go down the pub to watch.
I certainly do not feel like I am missing out on anything. I read my newspaper everyday, so I know exactly what is going on in the world, but still when people find out we don't have a TV they say, how can you live without one? We just say - easily.
In the last year I have missed out on Pop Stars and Pop Idol, I think I have seen about half of one episode. Am I bothered by this? Not a bit. I have missed hundreds of episodes of Eastenders and Neighbours, and countless other rubbish soaps. Has this seriously damaged my health, or affected my life in a negative way? Not in the slightest.
My housemates and I are normal people, we do not sit in our rooms playing computer games all evening, we sit in our lounge, talking, listening to music. In fact, many of our friends come round to our house, rather than the other way round. Coming to our house, you often find more people who don't live there, than those who do. Why? Because once you get there you do not just sit down in front of a TV and sit in mind-numbing silence watching the drivel that is on.
People watch TV because it is there. You've already paid for it, so you might as well watch it. I know. When I'm back home, with digital TV, I can easily sit all day watching rubbish day-time TV. But if I sit down at the start of the day and say, "Right, what do I ACTUALLY want to watch today, I might see 1 or 2 things to watch", yet I can still find things to watch anyway.
This is beginning to turn into a rant, so I'll try and wind it up.
This guy, sentanced to 10 months without TV, is it a punishment. Maybe, but I don't think so. Will it do him good - certainly. And maybe that was what was in the judge's mind. Maybe he doesn't see it as a punishment either. He sees it as a way of helping the man.
I don't think that TV is a bad thing, far from it. But I do think that people watch too much TV, and that if we only watched what we REALLY wanted to, we might be better people for it.
Maybe.
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far down!)